Sheila Hancock and James Nesbitt are the leading lights and Kirsty MacLaren shines There’s a lot to like in This Is My Family which is directed by Daniel Evans with a light comic touch. This is the second of CFT Artistic Director Daniel Evans' 'greatest hits' from his days at the Sheffield ...Read More

Avengers star Hayley Atwell is forceful co-star with Tom Burke Rosmersholm is about wanting to pursue passion and change but being held back by the past – the political system, religion, inhertitance. At the beginning, everything is covered in dustsheets in this stately home- Rosmersholm. The walls show signs ...Read More

Downton Abbey star in clever one woman play by Christopher Hampton The set comprises a small living room with an old lady sitting on a chair alone on a thrust stage talking to the audience. She never stands up. For 100 minutes we listen, I mean really listen. The lady ...Read More

Anne-Marie Duff adds Wow Factor to excellent production of Sweet Charity Sweet Charity with book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields. This would be an excellent production with any musical star but Anne-Marie Duff adds a wow factor. She may not be as good a ...Read More

Handbagged by Moira Buffini in a new production directed by Jo Newman Handbagged takes us through the major events of Margaret Thatcher’s reign as British prime minister. I use the word ‘reign’ deliberately because the story is told through a series of meetings between an increasingly regal Thatcher (Eve Matheson) ...Read More

Rachel Wagstaff's triumphant adaptation of classic Christie whodunit Watch the YouTube review of The Mirror Crack'd- The Wales Millennium Centre and Wiltshire Creative touring production of Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd, adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff, received its premiere at Salisbury Playhouse. This could have a standard Agatha ...Read More

All About Eve directed by Ivo Van Hove at the Noel Coward Theatre London Watch the YouTube review of All About Eve here You may well know the story. After all, the film All About Eve is a classic. Scripted by Joseph L Mankiewicz, it tells of a young would-be actor ...Read More

Come From Away, a musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein at the Phoenix Theatre in London 9/11 was a tragic event carried out by evil people. The musical Come From Away is a kind of antidote, reminding us that most people are basically good and generous. I’d forgotten but, ...Read More

Tony Kushner & Jeanine Tesori's great musical Click here to watch my video review of Caroline, Or Change on One Minute Theatre Reviews YouTube channel I managed to miss Caroline, Or Change when it was launched at Chichester, and again when it moved to Hampstead Theatre. Now that it’s transferred ...Read More

Magnificent cast featuring Nicola Walker, Maggie Steed and Alun Armstrong Click here to watch the review on YouTube A much loved teacher is about retire but his home is under siege by children from his school. His estranged daughter comes to visit her parents. His regular use of the cane ...Read More

Stephen Tompkinson's Scrooge is pitch perfect Click here to watch the review on YouTube As you'd expect from writer Jack Thorne, who wrote Harry Potter And The Cursed Child and director Matthew Warchus who directed Matilda The Musical), their adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is both magical and ...Read More

Patrick Barlow's The Messiah is heavenly Click here to watch The Messiah reviewed on the YouTube channel One Minute Theatre Reviews I wouldn’t say The Messiah, written and directed by Patrick Barlow, does justice to the nativity story but it certainly provides great Christmas entertainment. It’s a tale of hubris ...Read More

Tom Burke is mesmerising in this powerful production Schiller’s 1787 play about about love, freedom and a revolt against totalitarianism is given a powerful, grippiing production by actor Tom Burke and director Gadi Roll's new theatre company Ara. The plot concerns King Phillip II of Spain and his son Don Carlos in ...Read More

Jim Broadbent excels in Martin Mcdonagh's latest black comedy A Very Very Very Dark Matter, Martin McDonagh's latest black comedy, is very very very dark and also very very very funny. The lead character is the Danish fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen is portrayed as an egocentric idiot. It ...Read More

David Hare's new play is contrived, predictable & flat When the National Theatre announces a new season, it's always a challenge to decide which events to spend one's time and money on. But a new play by one of our greatest living playwrights David Hare starring a fine actor like ...Read More

Jonathan Pryce & Eileen Atkins shine in confusing drama Florian Zeller'sThe Height Of The Storm is confusing. If you're going to see it, it's good that you know this because otherwise, like me, you'll spend the whole evening trying to work out what's going on instead of simply enjoying a ...Read More

The Humans exposes the fears at the heart of a modern family I love a family drama and they don't come better than this. The Humans by Stephen Karam won four Tony awards when it was on Broadway. Now the original production directed by Joe Mantello has been imported with the same cast. As ...Read More

Bawdy fun as women turn the tables on men Women In Power at the Nuffield Southampton Theatres’ city venue is a new version of Aristophanes' Assemblywomen. It sticks pretty closely to the original story in which women take over the government from the weak and incompetent men. Aristotle was having a ...Read More

A few blooms but no bouquet for a dull production Flowers for Mrs Harris, a musical based on a Paul Gallico story and directed by Daniel Evans, is set in East London just after the end of the second world war. In a world of rationing and drabness, Mrs Harris ...Read More

The Goons- Still crazy after all these years The Goon Shows are classic radio comedy. Many of us have caught up with them through the eternal repeats on Radio Four Extra. Part of the appeal is the imagination that radio encourages you to exercise. That makes it quite a challenge ...Read More